If time travel was possible which era of NASCAR would you like to revisit? Many NASCAR fans would answer to revisit the 70s when NASCAR was dominated by the likes of Richard “the King” Petty. It was defined as the era of “Aero Wars” between Dodge and Plymouth which was way before the clash of titans Chevy and Ford. The 1970s when it was called the “Winston Cup” also saw the entry of many of the upcoming future stars.  The two-time Daytona 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. has recently taken a trip down memory lane by sharing a photo of his father from that same glorious era. Veteran Mark Martin had a fanboy moment and shared his admiration for the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Blast from the past

The story of Earnhardt’s and Daytona Speedway goes way back to 1976 when Junior’s father Dale Earnhardt Sr. entered the Late Model Sportsman Series in the Permatex 300. He went on to become one of the all-time greats of motorsport with seven Cup Series championships, a record he still holds with the likes of Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson. It was a tragic irony that it was the same racetrack where the veteran lost his life in a race in 2001.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted on X, “Dad at Daytona in 76. His first trip. His own car he prepared in his father’s garage. No gloves and no idea what the future held. I was recently sent this by a friend, I hadn’t seen it before. Pretty amazing.” He got emotional after receiving a photo from a friend depicting his father’s starting years riding the No. 8 Ed Negre Dodge Racer along with Tommy Houston, the uncle of his stepmother Teresa Earnhardt, riding a No. 95 Chevy.

Xfinity veteran Mark Martin quoted the post by Dale Jr. to praise his old man. Martin himself was just a teenager when he witnessed the glory of The Intimidator’s victories. “I was there in the grandstands. I had no idea I was witnessing a future GOAT of @NASCAR” wrote Mark Martin on X.

Mark Martin is not wrong when he calls Dale Sr. a future goat. We all know the 7 championships that glitter in his resume but there’s so much more he has accomplished. The Intimidator is still the only driver to win Rookie of the Year and the Cup championship in the same season (1980). If the seven championships don’t convince you of his longevity, then listen to this. He has won a cup race in four different decades! The 1970s, 80s, 90s and 2000s. However, the most astonishing record he has might be his record at Daytona. He amassed 34 wins at the track, the most of all time but has just one Daytona 500 victory which came in 1998. Astonishing to think that one of the most decorated drivers in the history of the sport has just one crown jewel victory.

Nevertheless, in 2025, Dale Earnhardt Jr., a two-time Daytona 50o winner himself, looks to reinstate the Earnhardt legacy at Daytona after taking his Xfinity team, JR Motorsports, to the crown jewel of NASCAR. Since his retirement in 2017, there has not been any Earnhardt representation at the Daytona 500 and this year will mark the revival of a special bond between Earnhardt and Daytona.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. becomes kingmaker

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Life has come full circle once again for the Earnhardt’s with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s return to the ‘Great American Race’ but as an owner now, with Justin Allgaier returning to the Cup Series behind the wheels of No. 40 Chevy. He is high on confidence after a successful 2024 Xfinity Series championship season. JR Motorsports couldn’t think of a better time and better driver to make their Cup Series debut.

Justin Allgaier became emotional after receiving the opportunity and described his journey with Earnhardt’s team, “I started kind of my professional career was when Junior Motorsports was kind of getting up and going and you go okay at some point the natural progression is to go to The Cup Series but you never really know. I mean you know for a long time you were very content with being Xfinity series only and only in the last couple years have you and Kelley and LW (Miller) really talked about the cup side”

Allgaier’s career started in 2005 and that was around the time Chance 2 Motorsports – a team founded in 2003 by Teresa Earnhardt and Dale Jr.- was on the tracks. The team later folded and turned into JR Motorsports and then merged with Hendrick Motorsports in 2007. Now in 2025, an Earnhardt-backed car returns to Daytona in hopes of keeping the family legacy alive.

Junior would be eager to rewrite history to usher in a new glorious era for fans to remember for years to come.